The Hindu : Front Page : Solheim sounds a warning as talks begin

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 29, 2006
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Solheim sounds a warning as talks begin

B. Muralidhar Reddy

COLOMBO: The much-anticipated talks between the Sri Lanka Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam began in Geneva on Saturday with a stern message from Norway that Colombo faced the danger of losing the goodwill and foreign aid if the situation did not improve.

Norway's International Development Minister Erik Solheim termed the ongoing undeclared war as an "un-winnable war" and blamed both Government and the LTTE for the state of affairs.

He said: "We have shown a lot of patience and we are prepared to show more, but the people in Sri Lanka and the international community will be impatient."

Mr. Solheim warned that the island nation risked losing huge foreign aid and goodwill if the two sides did not work towards a final political solution based on a federal formula of December 2002.

"The number of people killed in Sri Lanka in the past eight months has exceeded the death toll in Lebanon." There could be no military solution. Dialogue was the only way forward, he said.

"The resumption of dialogue is a step in the right direction. These talks constitute a small ray of hope, at least a step in the right direction."

The Government and the LTTE could not agree on a common agenda, as their priorities were different. While the Government was insisting on a discussion on "core political issues," the LTTE would like the focus to be on implementation of the 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) and the "human crisis" following the continued fighting. Diplomats and political observers here view Mr. Solheim's blunt comments as a reflection of the growing disenchantment of the international community over the cycle of violence and mounting miseries of thousands.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page